In high intensity focused ultrasound, focused ultrasound is used for sonicating or treating a region of tissue within a subject with high intensity focused ultrasound. The high intensity focused ultrasound can be used for heating a region within the subject, it can be used for rupturing tiny capsules of a drug and activating the drug, it can be used for ablating tissue, and at higher powers cavitation can be used to destroy regions within the subject. High intensity focused ultrasound is focused onto a region of the subject using a transducer. Very often the transducers have multiple elements and by controlling the phase and amplitude of the individual elements the focus of the ultrasound within the subject can be adjusted to a certain degree. In addition to controlling the phase and amplitude of ultrasound emitted by elements of the ultrasound transducer, very typically the transducer is physically moved. For treatment of the breast, typically three degrees of freedom are used for mechanically moving the high intensity focused ultrasound transducer. In other modes of treatment therapy, such as for treating fibroids, five degrees of freedom are used.
When a region of a subject is sonicated, detailed information about the anatomy or internal structure of the subject is beneficial. As a result sonication of the subject is typically guided using a medical imaging modality. An example of such a medical imaging modality is magnetic resonance imaging.
International Patent application publication WO 2008/026134 A1 discloses a manipulator for controlling the position of an energy radiator.